Dish with Recessed Top Rim Section

ABSTRACT

A dish selected from the group consisting of a drinking glass, stemware, beverage cup, mug or bowl having a base with a perimeter, a sidewall contiguous with the perimeter of the base and extending upwardly to a top rim, the top rim being substantially level and continuous except for at least one recessed sidewall section having a top edge recessed to a level lower than the level of the top rim.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to improvements in the structural configuration of a vessel selected from the group consisting of a drinking glass, goblet, beverage cup or bowl from which a beverage or other pourable food can be directly consumed by a user. Such vessels can be used to serve beverages or pourable foods in a bar or dining area of a private residence, or in an institutional food service facility or public restaurant. The subject improvements impart functional benefits not achievable through use of previously known devices. Such benefits can include, for example, improved cleanliness; reduced likelihood of transferring pathogenic contaminants during use or during handling prior to use; user comfort and reduced likelihood of spillage while drinking; and more rapid atmospheric drying when inverted on a towel, storage shelf or drain rack after washing.

2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

When dishes such as drinking glasses, beverage cups or soup bowls are washed by hand or in a dishwashing machine and are removed before their interior portion is completely dry to conserve time or energy, small water droplets are often observed “clinging” by surface tension to interior surfaces of the sidewall or bottom. Such droplets can be difficult to remove using a dish towel, particularly if the drinking glass is stemware having a top opening that is likely smaller in diameter than the hand of the person attempting to remove water droplets suspended inside. Such droplets can also leave “spots” deposited on the inwardly facing surface of a drinking glass if allowed to remain in place until they evaporate naturally. Further, if the glass is simply placed in a static, inverted position on a towel, drain board or other substantially flat surface and left to dry naturally, any minimal vertical space between the top rim of the inverted glass and an underlying support surface is usually insufficient to permit the air circulation needed to dry the inside of the glass, particularly in a humid kitchen environment. Any moisture retained inside the glass can even promote the undesirable growth of mold to an extent that is not visually apparent to a subsequent user.

Additionally, recent experiences during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and associated concerns about how to avoid spreading viruses or other pathogens to previously uninfected persons have made it highly desirable to reconsider the configuration of many articles commonly used in everyday life with a view toward making them less susceptible to promoting the transmission of infectious disease. A principal area of concern is with objects, articles or surfaces that are likely to be contacted by the hands of one person and then subsequently placed in contact with the face, mouth or hands of another.

As an example, conventional drinking glasses and beverage cups typically have a circumferentially extending sidewall with a top edge or rim defining a level, circular opening into an interior portion defined by the sidewall and a contiguous bottom portion configured to sit on an underlying support surface. Because the top rim of a glass, beverage cup or bowl is typically level (within ordinary manufacturing tolerances), a user is often indifferent as to a particular spot around the circumference or periphery of the top rim from which one drinks or pours the contents during use. An exception to this is with beverage cups or bowls having one or more fixed handle on the outside wall that influence the position from which a user drinks and usually varies according to whether the user is left- or right-handed. Any portion of the top rim of a conventional drinking glass or beverage cup that is contacted either purposefully or inadvertently by the fingers, thumb or palms of food preparation or service personnel potentially carrying a contagious pathogen presents a risk of transferring the pathogen to the mouth of a consumer by direct contact or by a beverage or other pourable foodstuff flowing over a contaminated portion of the dish or vessel prior to being ingested by the user.

The structural configuration and functionality of the present invention are readily differentiated from measuring cups used in cooking, from those of beverage serving pitchers having a singular, outwardly projecting pour spout from which users do not ordinarily drink, and from children's drinking cups having a removable lid with an upwardly or outwardly projecting drinking spout configured to avoid liquid spills during use by a toddler or young child.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Dishes or vessels such as drinking glasses and beverage cups are disclosed here that each comprise a continuous bottom and a contiguous, upwardly extending sidewall having a top rim, often circular, that is substantially level relative to the bottom and to an underlying support surface except that the top rim also comprises at least one recessed section having a width, depth and edge configuration sufficient to permit convenient drinking from the recessed section without incurring accidental spillage of a beverage. Such protection is desirably provided in combination with one or more structural elements or features that passively influence a user drinking from such a glass or cup to orient it so that the recessed rim portion is proximal to and appropriately aligned with mouth of a user when it is grasped by the user and raised upwardly toward a drinking position.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a beverage cup having a sidewall with a single fixed-position handle is desirably provided with two recessed rim sections that are circumferentially spaced apart from the fixed handle and are diametrically opposed from each other to accommodate convenient use by either left-handed or right-handed users.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a drinking glass having a top rim with at least one recessed rim section also embodies a sidewall configuration that is shaped so as to passively influence a user to grasp the glass comfortably and in such manner that a sidewall section with a recessed top edge is proximal to and naturally oriented toward the mouth of the user when the glass is lifted upwardly off an underlying support surface.

In another embodiment of the invention, the top rim of a beverage cup or soup bowl with or without fixed handles is provided with at least one, and preferably two or three, sidewall sections having recessed top edges that are circumferentially spaced around the top rim positioned to facilitate drinking or consuming a beverage or food from either of two opposed sides of the dish.

Articles made within the scope of the invention can selectively embody sidewalls having one or more sections that are vertical, inwardly or outwardly tapered, curvilinear, or a combination of those, provided that the subject article otherwise embodies the required elements of the invention as recited in the accompanying claims. The upwardly facing edge or surface portion of the sidewall section with a recessed top edge can lie inside the plane of a sidewall section of the subject dish or vessel but can also be made with a top edge portion that projects radially outward to a slight extent relative to the plane of the adjacent sidewall section(s), the radius of the top rim of the dish or vessel and/or the arcuate width of the recess.

As used in this disclosure, a “substantially level” top rim of a drinking glass or cup is generally understood to be one that is, within ordinary and customary manufacturing tolerances, substantially parallel to the bottom-most surface of the glass or cup when the glass or cup is sitting on an underlying support surface. As applied to stemware, however, the sidewall is contiguous with the bottom of the fluid-containing portion of the glass, which is in turn supported by a stem or pedestal above a base (most often circular) that is configured to sit on an underlying support surface, in which case the base is desirably “substantially level” with the top rim of the glass.

The reader should understand and appreciate that while the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are primarily direct to glasses, cups and bowls having circular top rims and bottoms, the invention is not so limited and is similarly applicable to drinking glasses, cups and dishes wherein the top rim, the bottom, both the top rim and the bottom, one or more sidewall sections, or a stemware base are non-circular provided that the constituent elements of the invention as recited in the accompanying claims are present.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject invention is further described and shown in relation to the following drawing figures (not drawn to scale) in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one preferred embodiment of a drinking glass of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the drinking glass of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the drinking glass of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the drinking glass of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the drinking glass of FIG. 1 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the drinking glass of FIG. 1 taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of another embodiment of a drinking glass of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a mug of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an elevation view of another embodiment of a drinking glass of the invention configured as stemware; and

FIG. 13 is an elevation view of another embodiment of the invention that is configured as a bowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-7, drinking glass 20 is disclosed that is illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the term “drinking glass” is used as a generic characterization of a type of dish or vessel in which the defining elements of the invention can be embodied and is not intended to restrict the material from which any dish or vessel of the invention, or any part of it, is made or formed. Materials suitable for use in making or forming the articles of the invention can therefore include, for example, glass, plastic, metal, wood, ceramic, stone, combinations of such materials, and the like.

In the embodiment depicted and described in relation to FIGS. 1-7, drinking glass 20 comprises two principal features that are believed to differentiate the invention both structurally and functionally from the known prior art. First, glass 20 is provided with a top rim 22 having at least one sidewall section (24, 26) with a recessed top edge (32, 34) that offers several functional advantages over conventional, commercially available products. When a user drinks liquid from a portion of top rim 22 having a recessed top edge 32, 34, the lips of the user are less likely to contact the other portions of top rim 22 that are also more likely to have been touched by the hands of other kitchen employees, wait staff or patrons who have handled glass 20 before the user. In the current time of widespread pandemic concerns arising from the COVID-19 virus, the health benefits of reduced hand touching of dishes are widely recognized as a means for limiting the transmission of pathogenic contamination. Further, the provision of recessed top edges 32, 34 that are cooperatively configured and positioned with a desirable width and depth of recess enable a user to drink from glass 20 with less likelihood of inadvertent liquid spillage that often occurs when drinking from glasses having wide mouths without predefined drinking positions. This benefit can be further enhanced by providing the recessed top edges 32, 34 with a lip that is configured to be more comfortable and “user friendly” than drinking from top rim 22 of a glass. Also, by providing at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge, an added functional benefit is achieved when a drinking glass 20 or other dish or vessel is inverted and placed on an underlying surface or substrate to dry. When a glass 20 has at least one recessed top edge 32, 34, drying of the interior walls of glass 20 is enhanced and accelerated by improved air circulation that is not available with glasses having a level top rim without any recessed sidewall section(s).

A second principal benefit provided by drinking glass 20 as disclosed in relation to FIGS. 1-7 is attributable to the shape of the sidewall sections 24, 26, 46, 48 in relation to the cooperatively configured and aligned recessed top edges 32, 34. Because sidewall sections 24, 26 are “squeezed” inwardly (comparatively) relative to more widely separated sidewall sections 46, 48, a user naturally tends to grasp glass 20 between the thumb and fingers in such way that one of recessed top edges 32, 34 is positioned facing the mouth of the user as the user lifts glass 20 off an underlying support surface. Use of this preferred sidewall configuration is believed to further enhance the health and comfort benefits achieved by use of the invention. Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, similar functional advantages are achieved by use of a recessed top edge 64 of top rim 62 in relation to handle 69 projecting outwardly from cylindrical sidewall 68 of mug 60 that is contiguous with circular bottom 66. As depicted in FIG. 10, mug 60 is configured for use by a right-handed user. By providing a matching recessed top edge on the side diametrically opposed to recessed top edge 64, mug 60 is also easily used by a left-handed user.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 4, tapered transition zones 40, 42 and 36, 38 are desirably provided between recessed top edges 32, 34 of sidewall sections 24, 26, respectively, and the adjacent sections of top rim 22. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, it is seen that the compound curvature of the sidewall sections of drinking glass 20 cause the vertical mid-line of sidewall sections 24, 26 to appear curved and relatively narrower at the vertical mid-point of glass 20 whereas the vertical mid-line of sidewall sections 46, 48 appear straight, outwardly inclined, and relatively wider at the vertical mid-point of glass 20. FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 further illustrate the symmetry and eccentricities of the top, “waist” (28) and bottom sidewall portions of drinking glass 20. A comparison of FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 with FIGS. 4 and 6 further demonstrates the relative placement and symmetry of recessed top edges 32, 34 relative to the respective sidewall sections.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, another embodiment of a drinking glass 50 of the invention is illustrated in which a continuous frusto-conical sidewall 58 extends between circular bottom 56 and outwardly flared top rim 52, with at least one outwardly curved recessed top edge 54 being provided adjacent to top rim 52 to provide the health and comfort benefits of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, an article of stemware 70 is disclosed that comprises an interior volume (indicated by dashed line 75) bounded by sidewall 78 having top rim 72 with at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge 74, with sidewall 78 being supported by tapered stem 77 projecting upwardly from circular base 76.

Referring to FIG. 13, bowl 80 is disclosed that comprises a continuous curvilinear sidewall 88 supported on base 86. Bowl 80 comprises a top rim 82 and one visible recessed top edge 84. As suggested by the downwardly tapered side of top rim section 82 on the back side of bowl 80, two additional sidewall sections having recessed top edges 84 can be provided with midpoints being circumferentially spaced 120° apart to provide three recessed top edge sections 84 to facilitate drinking or pouring liquid from bowl 80 no matter from what position bowl 80 is grasped by a user.

Although the accompanying drawing figures depict embodiments in which the dishes or vessels and their base support elements are generally circular, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure that glasses or dishes having non-circular or elliptical cross-sections and non-circular bottoms or bases can also be made within the scope of the present invention. Other alterations and modifications of the invention will likewise become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this specification in view of the accompanying drawings, and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventors or Applicant(s) are legally entitled. 

1. A dish selected from the group consisting of a drinking glass, beverage cup, mug or bowl, the dish having a base with a perimeter, a sidewall contiguous with the perimeter of the base and extending upwardly to a top rim, the top rim being substantially level and continuous except for at least one sidewall section having a top edge recessed to a level lower than the level of the top rim.
 2. The dish of claim 1 wherein the top rim is substantially level except for two oppositely disposed sidewall sections having a top edge recessed to a level lower than the top rim.
 3. The dish of claim 1 wherein the at least one sidewall section having a top edge recessed to a level lower than the top rim comprises an outwardly curved lip.
 4. The dish of claim 1 wherein the sidewall and the top edge of the at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge are cooperatively configured to reduce the likelihood of liquid spillage when drinking from the recessed top edge.
 5. The dish of claim 4 wherein the recessed top edge of the at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge has a width, depth and edge configuration that are cooperatively configured to reduce the likelihood of liquid spillage when drinking from the recessed top edge.
 6. The dish of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the sidewall comprises one or more structural features that passively influence a user of such dish to orient it so that the recessed rim portion is proximal to and appropriately aligned for drinking when the dish is grasped by the user and raised upwardly to a drinking position.
 7. The dish of claim 6 wherein the structural features are flattened sidewall sections with outer surfaces disposed substantially parallel to the at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge.
 8. The dish of claim 1 comprising a base configured to rest on an underlying support surface and a stem configured to support the sidewall above the base.
 9. The dish of claim 1 comprising a sidewall with a fixed-position handle and at least one sidewall section having a recessed top edge positioned to accommodate convenient use by one of the group consisting of left-handed and right-handed users.
 10. The dish of claim 6 when configured as a drinking glass having a top rim with at least one recessed sidewall section and a sidewall configured to passively influence a user to grasp the glass comfortably and in such manner that the at least one sidewall section with a recessed top edge is proximal to and naturally oriented toward the mouth of the user when the glass is lifted by the user upwardly off an underlying support surface.
 11. The dish of claim 1 comprising two or three sidewall sections with recessed top edges that are circumferentially spaced apart around the top rim and are positioned to facilitate drinking or consuming a beverage or food from the dish.
 12. The dish of claim 1 comprising a sidewall having one or more sections that are vertical, inwardly or outwardly tapered, flared, curvilinear, or a combination of those.
 13. The dish of claim 1 wherein the at least one sidewall section with a recessed top edge has a top edge that is recessed from about 3/16 in. to about ½ inch lower than the top rim of the dish.
 14. The dish of claim 13 wherein the at least one sidewall section with a recessed top edge has a top edge that is recessed from about ¼ in. to about ⅜ inch lower than the top rim of the dish.
 15. The dish of claim 1 wherein the at least one sidewall section with a recessed top edge has a usable width sufficient to enable a user to drink comfortably from the recessed top edge without liquid spillage.
 16. The dish of claim 1 wherein the at least one sidewall section with a recessed top edge has a recessed top edge with a usable arcuate width ranging from about 1.5 inches to about 2.5 inches.
 17. The dish of claim 16 wherein the recessed top edge has a usable arcuate width ranging from about 1.25 inch to about 2 inches.
 18. The dish of claim 1 wherein at least one of the base, sidewall and top rim is circular.
 19. The dish of claim 18 wherein at least two of the base, sidewall and top rim are circular.
 20. The dish of claim 19 wherein the base, sidewall and top rim are all circular.
 21. The dish of claim 1 wherein the sidewall is substantially vertical between the base and the top rim.
 22. The dish of claim 12 wherein the sidewall is outwardly inclined or flairs outwardly between the base and the top rim.
 23. The dish of claim 12 wherein the sidewall is continuously curvilinear between the base and the top rim. 